Let's Rock the 1970s

Posted: 01/04/2011 - 1:20pm

It’s been said that when people talk about ‘60s music, they’re really talking about the ‘70s.Many of rock’s biggest names got started in the late 1960s but didn’t get up to speed until the following decade, stars such as Fleetwood Mac, the Police, Joni Mitchell, James Taylor and Led Zeppelin.The end of the war in Vietnam coincided with the decline of protest and music that took itself seriously. By the middle of the decade punk had arrived. The punks rejected everything the hippies had stood for. Instead of valuing musical virtuosity and embracing long exploratory instrumental breaks, bands like the Ramones and the Clash reduced rock to three-chord basics. Velvet embroidery and long hair were rejected for black leather, blue jeans and mohawks. The ‘70s was also a decade of sexual revolution. Women’s sexuality had been liberated by the pill in the 1960s, and now changes in attitudes created a new decade of coming out for the gay community. On the stage, David Bowie set the tone with his sexually ambiguous persona of Ziggy Stardust, and throughout the '70s other stars including Elton John and Freddie Mercury enjoyed huge success while presenting a gender bending image to the world, The gay scene energized the emergence of clubs as influential trend setters, and made stars of dance music performers including Donna Summer.It was a decade of discovery, from folk to jazz rock, ambient to heavy metal, there was a scene for everybody.Check out our New, Best and Fun list to Rock the 1970s.